


Cinderella

by CodeMangaGirl



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-16
Updated: 2015-03-13
Packaged: 2018-02-09 02:15:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1965108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CodeMangaGirl/pseuds/CodeMangaGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>-Dropped- (May come back to but unlikely)</p><p>Sweat dripping in your eyes and filthy men trying to feel you up whenever they could. That was the life she had chosen. More correctly, that was the life she was stuck with. So why was he offering her an escape? What did he want from her in return? Good people didn’t exist in this world. Fairytales were lies told to the innocent in hopes that they wouldn’t be stained with reality. But she was far from innocent. She was far from the Cinderella he dared to believe she was. </p><p>Basically your standard stripper au with Fem!Levi and Erwin as the focus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Princess

Sweat dripping in your eyes and filthy men trying to feel you up whenever they could. That was the life she had chosen. More correctly, that was the life she was stuck with. So why was he offering her an escape? What did he want from her in return? Good people didn’t exist in this world. Fairytales were lies told to the innocent in hopes that they wouldn’t be stained with reality. But she was far from innocent. She was far from the Cinderella he dared to believe she was. 

* * *

 Sometimes she just wanted to through her phone out a window and have it hit and kill someone so she’d wind up in jail for reckless homicide. At least then her financial problems wouldn’t seem so terribly big in the grand scheme of things. Who cared if a criminal owed a few thousand dollars to the bank? They obviously didn’t have the means of paying it back being stuck in prison and all. She shook her head at the notion and reached a pale arm out from under the covers of her bed to fumble around the bedside table for her ringing phone. 

The usually dark screen of the phone was lit up, hurting her eyes with its led brightness. Squinting a bit, she groaned and answered the call in a hoarse voice. “Hello?” 

“Good Afternoon, this is Petra Ral from Trost Bank. I was wondering if I could please speak to-“ She shut the phone and threw it at the pillow beside her. Another day another call. Blinking a few times she turned to the digital clock on the bedside table and looked at the time. 3:37. When did it get so late? 

Sitting up slowly, she yawned loudly and stretched before crawling out of the bed. Making her way to the bathroom, she flipped on the light switch, yet again squinting at the intensity of the brightness, and took a good look at herself in the mirror. Short black hair, dull grey eyes, and a perpetual frown greeted her in the reflection. “Well shit,” she said aloud as she stared at her reflection, “I look like a fucking hobo.” 

She turned on the faucet and a steady stream of cool water poured out from it. Looking at the water for a moment, she sighed, before bending over and washing her face. Grabbing her toothbrush from the small shelf above the sink she squeezed more than enough toothpaste on it. Despite how many times she tried, she could never rid herself of the acidic taste of that jerk’s mouth. There was always one asshole out there that couldn’t follow the rules. 

After brushing her hair, she threw on a very oversized hoodie over her underwear and left the bedroom to the only other room in her tiny apartment. Opening the fridge she was greeted by cool air, a half full bottle of water, and a plastic container of butter. Thinking about how she should just unplug the fridge, she grabbed the butter and started making toast with a loaf of bread sitting on the counter nearby. 

After having eaten, she went back to her bedroom and pulled out her laptop from where it was charging under the bed. Of course the only plug in the small room was consequently the only place were a double bed would fit. This apartment was definitely made for one and only one. Glancing at the clock she saw the electronic numbers read 4:12. She still had almost two hours to kill before she had to be at work. Stealing the neighbor’s Wi-Fi as per usual, she snuggled under the covers of her bed and watched an episode of CSI.

* * *

Despite The Institution not opening until 8 every night, Nile Dawk required that all of his girls be there 2 hours early in order to practice their routines in the back. She found this rule exceptionally ridiculous considering that no one was paid for the wasted time, but then again she also knew some of the girls really did need that extra practice time. It was all about how much the pathetic men could throw up on stage that meant life or death for a person in this business. She had seen many girls go because of it. Lucky for her, she had become a fan favorite, showing off the skills she had acquired on the acrobatics team back in high school. Even so, it was nearly impossible to make a living from what was thrown up on stage in such a shitty club. Sometimes she was surprised coins didn’t hit her. 

She was watching some new girl practicing on the pole when Nile came up to her. “She’s pretty good ain’t she? Came in here yesterday with Sasha begging for a job. Apparently her step-brother landed himself in a coma or some crazy shit like that.” 

“Determination will do that to you,” she said without moving her gaze from the younger female. She had the body of an athlete and the face of a beauty queen. She also sported some serious muscles. Some guys would go crazy over that, others not so much. 

Nile took a cigarette out of his jeans pocket and lit it. Sticking it in his mouth he turned to look down at where she was sitting. “I still need a name for her you know. I thought maybe you could help. Her real one’s Mikasa. I figured maybe we could use a variation of that.”

She looked up at him with a questioning look upon her face. “Isn’t that like Spanish or something?”

“Nah. She told me it was Japanese or some shit like that. Said her mom married her step-dad in order to get a visa over here just to get shot in some gang fight the next month. Piss poor life ain’t it?"

“You’re telling me.” She rolled her eyes at him before glancing back at the girl. She was pretty good on that pole, but still in training. “Call her the Cadet.” 

Nile raised an eyebrow at her response before a sly smile spread over his face. “Don’t want anyone ranking more than you huh, Princess?” He didn’t so much as slap her on the shoulder as he did just gently pat her to which she still shrugged out of. “Anyways, what act shall we see from my lady tonight?” He faked an absurd bow to which she looked away with disgust. “I have a friend from college coming and I want to make sure he enjoys his visit.” She raised her brow slightly; astonished by the fact that Nile Dawk could ever have any friends.

Getting up from her seat she walked over to a set of racks with clothes on them in the corner. Picking a lacy garment with many chains hanging from it she turned back to him coolly and said, “Criminal.”

* * *

 The routine was simple enough. It was one that came naturally to her, and was a real crowd pleaser as well considering she preferred not to do it too often. Being a Friday night and all the shitty office workers getting out for the weekend, she made a sizable sum that night. It was better than what she got during the week from the overly horny customers that came it. She seriously didn’t know why Nile bothered opening the place during the week, but then again she knew it was because those same horny men who couldn’t seem to throw money on the stage also drank like sailors, making him some serious profits. 

The new girl wasn’t that bad either. She had watched from the side of the stage as the girl showed her ability to have men begging for more. Mikasa, she learned, was the type of dancer that takes her sweet time stripping. There were a few out there. Girls who could take things slow and have their audience riled up without having to reveal much. Mikasa was elegant like a geisha. The girl really was Japanese. She herself did it often, took her sweet time, though she preferred getting rid of her clothes early on and simply dancing on the pole. By doing that, she was almost able to forget what she was really doing. Almost. 

Much to her disappointment, she wasn’t able to escape the club immediately after her routine like she always did. Technically all the girls were supposed to stay till closing time in order to see who brought in what, but she usually snuck out early and just picked up her cash the next day. Nile was smart enough to know not to cheat her. Unfortunately for her, that night he was waiting in the back after her performance, baring her escape. 

“Good work as always, Princess. Hey, stay till closing tonight, all right? I want to introduce you to my friend. He really seemed interested in your performance tonight. It must be that scowl you always have on when you do it, hahaha.” She cringed at Nile’s words. He already reeked of cheap beer and cigarette smoke. 

She walked past him to a row of lockers where the girls kept their things. She looked at a bright red lock that was new to the row. Must be Mikasa’s. The new girls always thought they had something worth stealing.  She turned back to him as she opened her own locker. "I’m not interested.”

“Hey!” Nile was angry now. He slammed the locker door shut in front of her face and took hold of her shoulder. He really was drunk. “Listen here, Princess. You’re gonna stay whether you like it or not. Got that?” His stinking breath was hot against her cheek as he spoke, making her cringe. She looked away from his face, only causing him to tighten his grip on her. “Got that!?!”

“Yesss,” She hissed the word back in his face before pulling away from his grip. He smiled at her and lit a cigarette, blowing the smoke in her face. “I’m glad we’ve come to an agreement. I’ll be back here when all the dances are over. Make sure you look decent.” She rolled her eyes at his comment. Was that some kind of sick joke? 

After Nile had left she went into the small bathroom and washed the sweat off her face and arms. She felt disgusting and dirty. All she wanted to do was go home, take a shower, and collapse on her bed like normal. Damn this friend of Nile’s. Why did it matter if she met yet another sex crazed thirty some year old man? They were all the same in her eyes. 

Since she had some time to kill before all the performances were done and nothing to do, she decided to watch Mikasa practice on the pole in the back. She was pretty good for never having tried it before, but still had a long way to go. Ymir, another one of the dancers at the club, was showing her some moves to practice. The only problem was, Ymir was only mediocre when it came to the pole. Instead her specialty was some weird form of Arabian belly dancing she picked up as a kid. She had tried to mimic it herself one time when she was alone, but the result just wasn’t the same. 

“You’re not going to fall so stop focusing so much energy into your grip and put more into your lower body, that way you will be able to put on a more fluid performance.” The two girls looked towards her with surprise. Obviously they had not noticed they were being observed. Ymir was the first to respond. “Wow! So you do talk to people other than Nile every now and then. Hahaha! Mikasa, you must be one really special girl to have the Princess of this club giving you tips!” 

She flinched slightly at Ymir’s voice. Something about being the focal point of the conversation had always bothered her. Regaining her composition she walked closer to where the two were. “I never gave you tips because you already had something you were good at that I wasn't.” 

“Sure, whatever you say honey. Anyways if you’re gonna help out Mikasa over here I gotta call to make before it gets to late. Don’t want a cutie staying up to late for me to get home!” Ymir dashed over to the lockers, leaving her alone with Mikasa. 

“Why do they call you princess?” Mikasa was quick to ask the question once Ymir was out of earshot. She didn’t answer it. Instead she pulled herself up the pole and positioned herself so that she was slightly above its center. “Watch,” she said rather bluntly. She lifted her legs so that they were perpendicular to the ground and held them there before pulling one up above her head and connecting with the pole itself. 

“Why are you showing me the fact that you’re good. I already knew that from Ymir.” Mikasa nodded towards to the door Ymir had gone out. She stayed in the air for a few seconds before flipping her body back down in front of Mikasa. “That’s not what I was trying to show you. Did I look like I was going to fall?” Mikasa gave her a questioning look before answering hesitantly, “Well no…”

“Exactly. I believe that my strength will support me, allowing me to focus on other things. Have some confidence in your own strength.” 

Mikasa stared at her for a moment before nodding to show her understanding of the concept. “Try it again,” she said pointing once more to the poll. Mikasa took a deep breath before stepping over to it and pulling herself up to the top of the poll. She hovered at the top as if waiting for the signal to start. “Go,” was the single whispered word she was given in response. 

Taking a deep breath Mikasa nodded once more in affirmation before doing two flips down the pole and pulling herself up once more so that her legs were spread wide above her head, giving her enough room to flip down again and placing her feet gently on the ground.

“Wow! That was amazing Mikasa! Are you sure you didn’t secretly work for some other club before you got here?” Sasha, followed closely by Mina, came running up to Mikasa and gave her a tight hug. 

“Ah, Sasha, thanks,” Mikasa struggled out the words, being squeezed a little to tightly for comfort. “Anyways, is your routine done?” 

“Yeah! Me and Mina here rocked them silly!” Sasha was jumping up and down with enthusiasm. She was one of the few girls who could be cheerful despite her shitty situation. She was also apparently one of Mikasa’s close friends from high school, explaining how she was already so acquainted with her. “Hey, I’m hungry, you should buy me some burgers on the way home, okay, Mina?” 

“I’m sorry I can’t. Annie is picking me up tonight,” Mina smiled apologetically towards Sasha, as the brunette fell dramatically to the floor is despair. 

“I’ll buy you one okay? But only one!” Mikasa held out her hand and pulled the girl up, who instantly perked up after hearing of a prospective meal. “Really? I love you Mikasa!" 

“Okay, okay girls! Good work tonight everyone, especially that duo to end things Mina and Sasha. Very nice. I have your cuts right here so you can leave once you get them,” Nile said cheerfully as he walked into the room. He had a smile on his face but cast a look at her that said she was still his prisoner. 

She didn’t bother walking up and grabbing her cut with the other girls and instead just sank further into her seat, waiting for the inevitable. Once everyone had left, Nile walked over to her and held out his hand, “Come on.” She brushed it away and got up to follow him. 

The club was still open for another hour even though all the performances where over. People always stayed later to drink themselves senseless. She threw on some sweatpants and a hoodie, ignoring Nile’s request to “look decent.” She pulled up the hood before leaving the back room so that none of the horny men would recognize her as one of the dancers. “Over here,” Nile led her up some stairs and into a closed off room from the rest of the club. It was the private room used for when men requested a certain dancer to be with, though she was rarely in it other than for when they used it for meetings with everyone since she refused any private dances. She didn’t like the risk of being alone with anyone, even if she could make extra doing it. 

Nile closed the door behind them and gestured for her to move further into the room. A tall man with blonde hair was sitting on one of the couches with his back to them, drinking from a glass that he placed on the table in front of him as he got up and turned towards them. “Hey, Erwin! I brought the girl I wanted you to meet! I present to you, my Princess,” Nile smiled as he pushed her unmoving body towards the man and made a pathetic bow. With that he left the room, leaving the two alone.

The man’s gaze followed his friend until he left the room before focusing back at her and smiling apologetically. “I’m sorry about this. I really didn’t ask for Nile to arrange this or anything.” She looked at him with a critical eye but couldn’t see any flaws past the warm smile he had on his face. In fact, he looked like a fucking Greek god or something of the sort to her. He held out a hand towards her, obviously flustered by what had been set up by Nile, “So… Anyways, I’m Erwin. Nile has told me that your one of his best dancers. Umm…You must be Lily, right?” 

She looked at his outstretched hand before returning her gaze to his face, “Right."


	2. Regrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The water was never hot enough to wash away the regret. No matter how hard she scrubbed, it was impossible to undo what had been done. The stain in her heart would only spread until her entire body was consumed in its madness.

The water was never hot enough to wash away the regret. No matter how hard she scrubbed, it was impossible to undo what had been done. The stain in her heart would only spread until her entire body was consumed in its madness.

* * *

The tall man before her blushed a bit as the realization of what Nile had set up sank into his mind. “I’m so sorry, I really didn’t ask for Nile to do this or anything.” He looked down at the ground, obviously embarrassed at the situation he had been put in. “Do you want me to take you home or anything? You know, to make up for this whole mess.” He looked back up at her, face full of apology.

“No!” Her response came out harshly and she partially regretted it for a moment. Shaking her head she thought it better that way and repeated herself. “No, I’m fine. Goodbye then, umm, Erwin.” She stood still for a moment, unsure if she should wave or do any gesture of farewell. In the end she just forgot the whole concept of being remotely friendly and left in a hurry, slamming the door behind her with a loud crack of rotting wood hitting cement walls.

Despite all the dancers being gone, the club was still filled with people trying to consume as much liquor as they physically could before going back to their mundane lives the next day. It disgusted her to think how many of these men actually had wives and children waiting for them in their perfect little suburban homes outside the city. She pulled at her hood in an attempt to hide her face from them. The last thing she wanted was to be harassed by the scum that frequented the club as an escape from reality. She wasn’t feeling well as it was thanks to the whole incident that had just played out. 

She had only taken a few steps when she heard a rather loud shutting of a door behind her. Stopping dead in her tracks, she turned around to see Erwin hastily making his way over to her. A flash of sudden fear pained her as she worried about what he may want with her. He made a motion as if to grab a hold of her sleeve but then quickly decided against it, dropping his arm down to his side instead. 

“What is it?” She said weakly, surprised at his sudden appearance in front of her. A small part of her also was in fear of if he had changed his mind. There was no way she could resist knowing he was a good friend of Nile’s. It would cost her this job, which in turn would cost her everything.

He looked at her for a moment with a questioning gaze that said he hadn’t really thought out what he would do if she responded to his advancement. Clearing his throat he spoke softly, just loud enough so that she could hear over the blaring music of the speakers, “I can’t just leave it like that. I mean… I got you into this mess. At least let me make sure you get home safely. Let me do that much. Please?” His eyes held a desperate look, a look that she had come to hate.

She was silent for a moment and looked at her shoes. She couldn’t really deny him. The consequence would be far to great if she did. “Fine.” The answer was curt and cruel sounding, whispered swiftly before she turned back around and made her way out the door, expecting for him to keep up. 

The brisk air of night greeted her once she walked out of the steamy club. The fresh air felt good in her lungs. It may have been shitty city air, but it sure as hell was better than the humid and dirty shit she was breathing inside. The door clicked open and close gently behind her. “The parking lot’s in the back you know…” She ignored the voice and took a left turn down the sidewalk. There was a pause before she heard a set of footsteps begin to follow close behind her. A deep sigh came from the tall man, “I guess it makes sense you’d wanna walk. I wouldn’t trust getting into a random guy’s car either. Uh, not that I’d be picked up by a guy or anything! I mean… Never mind.” 

She glanced to her side where he was now walking in time with her. His silhouette cast an eerie shadow against the parked cars on the street, and yet his presence wasn’t as foreboding as she had predicted. In fact, he seemed to be just a really embarrassed guy regretting the awkward way he had met her. For once in her life, she felt like she could trust his words. She shook her head at the thought. She should know better than to trust anyone, regardless of how earnest a person they seemed. This world was full of fucking liars and pricks and he was no different. She knew that, she always had, even then. 

A gust of air blew against her face and made her shiver. Next thing she knew there was something warm draped over her shoulders. “Cold out tonight, huh?” Her eyes widened at the sudden gesture and instinct took over. She immediately threw the jacket off her and bolted down the sidewalk as fast as she could. She heard the man’s footsteps quicken behind. He called out her name, causing her to cringe and cover her ears as she ran. 

Despite her rather physically intense job, she had very little stamina when it came to vigorous activities such as running continuously for a long time. She had muscles, but they were only meant to last her for a song or two, not a marathon. Her exhaustion from a night's worth of work did not help her case in this instance either. Soon all the streetlights began to blur from the tears forming in her eyes and the world started to spin. Her heart pounded in her chest almost as loudly as the ache in her head. He was getting closer. With each step she could feel herself becoming slower and the man catching up. She wasn't good enough. She couldn't do this anymore. She was worthless. She was nothing. She was alone. Remember, she thought to herself as she ran, you can’t tell anyone. You can’t let anyone know. 

It hurt to breath and she couldn't see a thing around her. She turned the corner only to slip and collapse to the ground. She fainted in that moment of hitting the ground, but her mind was still very much active. 

"Finally!" The man exclaimed as he rounded the corner only to stop short of falling over the crumpled body on the ground.

* * *

It took a moment for Erwin to comprehend just what had happened. He stood there, looking at the body by his feet in a dazed state, wondering when it would start moving once more. When the realization that she had fainted finally hit him, it was like a ton of bricks falling all at once. 

He had to move quickly. There was a demanding sense of urgency within him to take the woman crippled before him to safety and never let her be hurt by the world ever again. He didn’t quite understand the feeling, but that didn’t matter at the moment.

He crouched down and delicately scooped up Lily’s petite figure into his arms. Gently cupping her wrist, he made sure that her pulse was still strong before carrying her back to his car. 

As they arrived at the sleek sports car, he silently cursed himself for it not having a back seat. To think that just a week ago he would have had his old car, which was much roomier than this current model, but timing never works that perfectly. He didn’t want to disturb her unconsciousness too much and would have much rather lay her down than have to sit her up with her head bobbing in front of her as he drove.

The drive to his apartment didn’t take very long, as traffic was scarce this late at night. Erwin silently said a prayer that Connie wasn’t the valet that night. He admired the kid for working so hard to pay for his own college, not wanting to be a burden on his single mother, but the kid had a loud mouth. One time Erwin had come back really drunk one night with his best friend Mike and for the rest of the week he heard the rumors circulating through the staff about how he slapped a big old kiss on the poor kid. It wasn’t his brightest moment. 

Unfortunately, Erwin was out of luck.

“Hey Mt. Smith!” Connie’s voice was like nails on a chalkboard. This was the last thing Erwin needed. "Coming back pretty late aren’t you? You know I’m still not too sure you aren’t a secret agent or something cool like- Wait who’s she?”

“Shut up and just do your job, kid,” Erwin said abruptly, getting out of the car and moving over to the passenger seat to pick up Lily in his arms. He more so aimed at Connie’s face rather than simply tossing the car keys to him, causing the kid to fall backwards into a bush behind him trying to dodge them. A sudden wave of regret passed over Erwin and he silently laid a twenty-dollar bill on the drivers seat before leaving in a rush. By the time Connie had made his way back to his feet, the idling car was the only sign that he had ever been there in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to write a new chapter... I really have no excuse other than school, but even with that is not much of an excuse. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and hopefully it was worth the terrible wait! Thank you for reading and staying with this project of mine!


	3. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People are fake. They have always been fake and will always be fake. The kindest of people harbor their darkest secrets behind the warmest of smiles. The glow that emanates from them is actually a straight jacket restraining their true natures. It is only a matter of time before the monster inside is released.

People are fake. They have always been fake and will always be fake. The kindest of people harbor their darkest secrets behind the warmest of smiles. The glow that emanates from them is actually a straight jacket restraining their true natures. It is only a matter of time before the monster inside is released. 

* * *

 She woke with a piercing pain in her head. The bright light coming from the window was too much for her eyes to handle, and she closed them immediately upon opening them. The moment she had them open, however, was enough to tell her that something was wrong. 

Her hands wandered, feeling the soft, silky sheets that her body had been covered in. This wasn’t her bed. Her mind began racing and her heart beat loudly in her ears. She felt around for her phone that was in her pocket, only to find that someone had changed her clothes. 

Sitting straight up, she ignored the pain in her eyes and the throbbing ache of her head. She had to look at her surroundings. She had to get a sense of where she was, a grasp of reality. The room was warm and cheerful, with walls the color of melted butter and furniture accented with gold, it was the exact opposite of how she was currently feeling. 

Looking to her left she saw a bedside table with her cellphone on it, but upon flipping it open it she realized it was dead. She threw the hunk of cheap plastic across the room in rage, snapping the two parts in half. She was going to pay for that later, but in the moment she couldn’t care less. 

Gathering her composure, she crawled out of the huge bed, and grabbing a book off the small shelf at the edge of it, made her way cautiously to the door. She listened for a moment, but was greeted only by the soft breeze of the air vents. Slowly, she opened the door, only to find that it let to a large hallway full of more, pristine, white doors, and an opening at the end. 

Quietly, she placed one foot in front of the other, and made her way to the opening. The hall led into a large main room with a kitchenette and an island with some stools on the side opposite her. There he stood, reading a magazine in one hand and stirring his coffee with the other, already dressed for the day. _Deceitful man_ , she thought, _so able to act as if nothing has happened, as if he is innocent._

Her footsteps quickened until she was full out running towards him. "You bastard!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, raising the book above her head and throwing it towards the turned figure. 

The thick hardback hit Erwin squared in the left shoulder as he turned to see where the yell had come from. The sudden impact caused him to push the coffee he was stirring off the counter and the mug to shatter on the ground, spilling out liquid all over the hard wood floors. 

"You asshole! You disgusting fiend! Just wanted to walk me home right? Fuck you!" She was yelling at him, picking up random paperweights and books that were placed around the room and throwing them in Erwin's general direction, glass shattering everywhere. 

"What are you talking about?" Erwin shielded him from the flying objects with his arms, attempting to get closer to her, but with little success. 

She stopped her bombardment suddenly, dropping the vase that was in her hands to the ground with a loud thud. She appeared to be shocked. "What am I talking about?" Her facial expressions began to darken as she yelled once more, "What am I talking about?! What do you think I'm talking about you vile scum?! You're all the same, men like you! You like to take a woman and act all nice and then crush her when she's at a disadvantage! Fuck you! Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you!!!"

Finally it clicked in his mind. Moving a step forward and putting down his arms Erwin retorted to her shouts. "Lily! I didn't do anything to you!" His facial expressions were that of a man pleading for his life.

"Don't fucking call me that you bastard! Didn't do anything?! Hah! You make me laugh! How do you explain these clothes then huh?! I bet you love fucking unconscious women right?! The way they can’t retaliate against your sick advances!" She bent down to reach once more for the vase that had fallen. Erwin took this as the opportunity to hastily make his way towards her. When she rose again she stopped suddenly at the sight of him right before her. 

"Lily!" He grabbed the vase from her hands and tossed it to one of the couches beside them. "I didn't do anything! You're clothes were wet and dirty from the alleyway, so I changed them! I swear to God other than that, and putting you in bed, I did not touch you!"

She had a sick smirk across her face at this point. "Oh you swear to God, huh?" She pointed to the ceiling and began shouting again. "What God?! Huh?! You swear to what God?! You mean that guy people pray to in church?! Huh?! That guy who lets people die in the streets?! That guy who couldn't care less if I was dead?! Don't make me laugh!” She spat at Erwin’s face, causing him to lose his guard long enough for her to find the door and start towards it. 

“Wait! Please!” His voice sounded desperate, but she didn’t care. She had to get out of there before the heat suffocated her. 

* * *

The slamming sound of the door was deafening to his ears. 

“Fuck!” Erwin paced around the room, holding his head in distress. Why did he care so much? So what if he wanted to help? She obviously didn’t care. So why did he want to learn more about this mysterious woman who Nile had introduced him to. This confusion was infuriating. He was a businessman who had far better things in life to do that follow around some random stripper!

No… She was more than that. There was something about her, about the manner in which she spoke. There was something strange in the way she reacted to his attempts to help. This woman had been hurt, badly hurt. He didn’t know why, but he had to find out more. He had to help her, in any way he could. He did not know way, but he was drawn to this woman. It was as if they were connected by fate, though he never believed in such simple ideas as destiny. 

He stopped pacing around and grabbed his phone from the counter where he had left it to charge. Scrolling through his contacts, he landed on the name he was searching for: Nile Dawk. 

The ringing of the phone was almost as unbearable as the terrible gut feeling that Erwin had in his stomach. He was nervous. What was he supposed to say? “Oh yeah, Nile! What’s up! So you know that stripper last night? Yeah, so long story short she stormed out of my apartment and I need her address.” That was sure to go smoothly. This was Nile, the same guy who still picked on Erwin for a one-night stand he had back in college. 

“Hello?” A sleepy voice on the other end of the receiver questioned. 

“Hey, uh, Nile, its Erwin…” He spoke tentatively, trying to collect his thoughts.

“Yeah, I know. There’s this thing called caller id nowadays. You should really try it out. Any who what do you want? It’s ungodly early,” the voice on the other end mumbled. Even half asleep, Nile still found a way to be sarcastic.

Erwin swallowed hard. There was no other way to do this. There was no being tactful or decent about it. “Yeah, yeah, whatever… Um, so Nile… That girl last night-“

“Hahaha!!! You want her number right? Probably brought her home and woke up to a cold bed eh? I can tell you one thing, she never picks up. Seriously! Why bother pay for a phone if you’re not going to use it?” 

Erwin cringed at the sound of Nile’s laughter. He should have known better than to even bother. He had connections, he could have found out the girl’s address himself. Well… maybe. He decided to play the part. There was no way to get past Nile either way. He’d believe what he wanted, even if it was the farthest thing from the truth possible. “Yup! You got me! Now could you please tell me her address? I have an apology to make.” He wasn’t exactly lying about the apology part. 

“I got you. Give me a few minutes; I’ll text it to ya. Hey, Erwin? Get some,” Nile spoke in his general, lewd manner of talking. Erwin often wondered why he had bothered remaining in contact with this man after graduation. Especially after what had happened between them…

The phone clicked, signaling that Nile had hung up on him. A few moments later it pinged with a new text message, but by then Erwin was already out the door and halfway to the parking garage. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! I've been working on starting this for a while and think it's one of my better works. I'm really happy if you even slightly enjoyed this and hope you read more when I get around to writing the next chapter!


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